Category: Philippine Star

Three lawyers and three businessmen take the train to a conference. Each lawyer buys a ticket. The businessmen buy only one.

‘How will three of you ride on one ticket?’ a lawyer asks.

‘Watch,’ says a businessman.

On board, the businessmen squeeze into one restroom. The conductor knocks: ‘Ticket, please.’ One arm reaches out with one ticket, and he moves on. Impressed, the lawyers buy just one ticket for the trip home. The businessmen buy none.

‘How will you ride with no ticket at all?’

‘Watch.’

The lawyers pile into one restroom, the businessmen into another. Once the train moves, one businessman knocks on the lawyers’ door. ‘Ticket, please.’ An arm comes out with the ticket.

The lawyers learned the lesson. Just not all of it.

Most of life’s lessons go that way. We catch half the first time and must come back for the rest. Here are eight that have made a difference for me, and I am still learning them.

1. Nobody can learn the lessons for me.

Mentors can guide me, my boss can train me and a thousand authors can teach me from my bookshelf. But learning is non-transferable. Aldous Huxley said it well: ‘Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.’ Experience is not the best teacher. Evaluated experience is. Today, AI can summarize any book in seconds. Don’t confuse access with understanding.

2. Some lessons must be learned more than once.

Our memories are short. I have sat in seminars thinking, ‘I’ve heard this before.’ True. But have I done it? Heard before is not learned before. Perhaps the key is to commit lessons not just to the head but to the heart. The Psalmist wrote, ‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.’

3. Flexibility is more important than power.

Strong-willed people are often just stubborn and get frustrated easily. I have yet to meet a happy perfectionist. Pencils have erasers, and keyboards have a delete key for a reason. Being flexible does not mean compromising your values. It means exercising tact, grace and compassion. The rigid person defends his position. The flexible person learns from it.

4. Drive and interest are more valuable than talent.

One person with passion will outperform ninety-nine with mere interest. Many gifted people never go far because talent was all they brought. Those who fail often have passion; they just spend it on gossip, office politics and envy. What delights you will direct you. The enemy of success is not failure, because failure teaches. The enemy of success is apathy: showing up with no goals, no direction and no motivation except payday.

5. Doing things is more important than knowing things.

‘I already know that.’ ‘I thought of that years ago.’ Yet nothing was done. Writer Curtis Grant put it memorably: people who want milk should not sit on a stool in the middle of a field hoping a cow will back up to them. You don’t have to be great to start, but you must start to be great.

6. People are more important than tasks and things.

Kids want new toys; adults want new cars. Later, we realize that memories and success come from people. When the biggest stars of 1985 gathered to record ‘We Are the World,’ producer Quincy Jones taped a sign on the studio door: ‘Check your ego at the door.’ The song succeeded through cooperation, not competition. Tasks have no souls. People do. Value them, and they will value you back.

7. Success is fun, but opportunity is better.

Success is a platform, not a parking lot. Every level reached is the foundation for the next. In a world changing this fast, the comfort zone is the danger zone. Many greats started unimpressively. Winston Churchill struggled in school. Soichiro Honda left school young to work in a car repair shop. Li Ka-shing left school at fifteen to support his family. To become, you must overcome.

8. We gain more by what we give than by what we get.

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ is not just piety; it is practical wisdom. The greedy are the most miserable people on earth because the self is the hardest master to satisfy. Mentoring and leaving footprints for others outlast anything we collect. Here is a good rule: give and forget; receive and remember.

Find the principles that work for you, word them your own way and keep relearning them. The abundant life is not a finished course. It is a lifelong enrollment.

The University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers will seek to reaffirm their mastery over the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats when their paths cross again in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 26 basketball tournament today (Sunday, October 25) at the University of San Carlos (USC)-Downtown Campus Gymnasium.

Game time is set at 5 p.m.

Coach Gary Cortes’ wards routed the Wildcats, 85-63, in their first-round encounter on October 4 at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Lancers are currently second in the college division standings with a 7-2 win-loss record, while the Wildcats hold a 5-4 slate.

Meanwhile, the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers eye a repeat over the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) when they collide at 3:30 p.m.

The Panthers (1-8) scored their first and lone victory so far at the expense of UCLM (2-7) , 81-76, during the league’s season-opening games on August 29.

In high school play, the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguar Cubs will aim to improve their 5-2 card when they take on the 2-5 San Carlos School of Cebu (SCSC) Baby Warriors at 12:30 p.m.

The Benedicto College (BC) Baby Cheetahs (2-4) will face the winless Don Bosco Greywolves (0-6) at 2 p.m.

In the 10:30 a.m. opener, the UV Baby Lancers (2-4) will clash with the PAREF Springdale Titans (1-6).

The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) confirmed the launch of China’s Long March 8A rocket on Sunday, October 25.

In an advisory, PhilSA said the rocket lifted off from the Hainan International Commercial Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan, at approximately 10:03 a.m. (Manila time).

Before the launch, details of the designated drop zones were disclosed through a Notice to Airmen warning of “aerospace flight activity.”

PhilSA said it had distributed a pre-launch risk assessment report to relevant government agencies and local authorities to help ensure public safety.

The agency identified two primary drop zones for falling rocket components, including discarded boosters and payload fairings:

Drop Zone 1 (Within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone): Located approximately 107 nautical miles (NM) from Patag Island, 122 NM from Bajo de Masinloc, 164 NM from El Nido, Palawan, and 167 NM from Busuanga, Palawan.

Drop Zone 2 (Within Philippine Archipelagic Waters): Situated roughly 42 NM from Hadji Muhtamad, Basilan, 42 NM from Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, 53 NM from Pangutaran Island, Sulu, and 122 NM from Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Although the discarded rocket components were not expected to land directly on inhabited areas, PhilSA warned that falling debris could pose serious risks to ships, fishing vessels, aircraft and mariners traversing the affected maritime areas.

‘While not projected to fall on land features or inhabited areas, falling debris poses danger and potential risk to ships, aircraft, fishing boats, and other vessels that will pass through the drop zone,’ PhilSA said.

‘There is also a possibility for the debris to float around the area and wash toward nearby coasts. Additionally, the possibility of an uncontrolled re-entry to the atmosphere of the rocket’s upper stages returning from outer space cannot be ruled out at this time,’ it added.

PhilSA reiterated its warning against touching or retrieving suspected rocket debris, noting that the materials may contain toxic remnants, including unspent rocket fuel.

‘PhilSA also cautions against retrieving or coming in close contact with these materials that may contain remnants of toxic substances such as rocket fuel,’ the agency warned.

Clyde Mondilla is back in the winner’s circle, and he intends to make the most of his return.

Fresh from ending a two-year title drought with a hard-earned victory at South Pacific Golf Club, Mondilla heads to the final leg of the Philippine Golf Tour at Apo Golf and Country Club starting Tuesday (Oct. 27) with renewed confidence, a sharper game and ambitions that extend well beyond the local circuit.

His South Pacific triumph was more than just a long-awaited return to the winner’s column. It was a test of nerve against a five-man chase, a demonstration of his ability to deliver under pressure and, perhaps most importantly, a timely reminder that he remains a force to reckon with as he sets his sights on bigger international challenges.

For Mondilla, the victory has already delivered its biggest immediate reward: the confidence to compete and win again.

The Sandiganbayan has upheld its earlier ruling denying former senator Ramon Revilla Jr.’s bid to stop one of its justices – who specifically ruled to deny him P1 million bail – from hearing his malversation case.

The anti-graft court’s Third Division ‘denied for lack of merit’ Revilla’s motion for reconsideration of the denial of his earlier motion intended to make Associate Justice Karl Miranda inhibit from his case.

Miranda, chairman of the Third Division, previously objected to the court’s majority ruling to grant Revilla P1 million bail for his temporary freedom amid his ongoing trial for malversation.

The case stemmed from allegations that he received kickbacks from a P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.

Miranda asserted it was ‘difficult to justify’ Revilla’s being granted temporary liberty while his co-accused remain behind bars.

In his motion, Revilla accused Miranda of being biased against his bail petition. In contesting his bail petition, Revilla claimed Miranda relied only on ‘uncorroborated and bare’ testimony of state witness former public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo. Revilla noted Miranda’s brother had acted as Bernardo’s counsel.

In denying his motion for reconsideration, the Sandiganbayan said the former senator ‘has not presented any new or additional act, conduct, or circumstance that could be considered as clear and convincing evidence of Justice Miranda’s bias and prejudice that would warrant his recusal from hearing the instant case.’

‘Justice Miranda has already shown that his Separate Opinion is based on a thorough analysis of all the evidence presented by the prosecution, and thus, it cannot be simply disregarded as evidence of bias or prejudice,’ according to the Third Division’s seven-page resolution.

Third Division members Associate Justices Ronald Moreno and Fritz Bryn Anthony delos Santos concurred with the decision.

Do you know how many classrooms can be built with a budget of P54 million?

The amount can fund the construction of more than 60 classrooms if we use the estimate of non-government organizations of roughly P860,000 per classroom.

Imagine how many more students our public schools can accommodate if we build those 60 additional classrooms.

But instead, this P54 million is the cost of retrofitting three short bridges in Bulacan, which really have no visible signs of damage or need for retrofitting.

I wrote about this last week in my column titled, ‘Bridges to corruption,’ published on Oct. 22.

As I said, each bridge is approximately 30 meters long: one at the Kilometer 41 San Jose-Plaridel intersection (Bridge 1), another in Cambaog, Bustos (Bridge 2) and the third in Malamig, Bustos (Bridge 3).

All the bridges are on the northbound route from the Balagtas Exit of the North Luzon Expressway.

The first is Bridge 1 after the Jose-Plaridel intersection. The second is Bridge 2 right after the first bridge while the third is about four kilometers from the first bridge.

According to the project details, the scope of work involves retrofitting and strengthening at a cost of P18.5 million each for two bridges, while the third will cost P16.8 million for a total project cost of P53.8 million.

Based on the timetable, work started in August and completion is scheduled for December.

The implementing office is DPWH Regional Office III.

Several visits showed little work progressing, which is odd for a project scheduled for completion by December.

As I said, the only ‘retrofitting’ happening is grinding down the surface in worm-like patterns and applying epoxy putty.

The bridges are passable and show no visible signs of an urgent need for an upgrade or modification.

It’s alarming and sad, really that despite the crippling impact of the flood-control scandal on the economy, our institutions continue to overprice infrastructure projects.

DPWH executives and employees, LGU officials and lawmakers who are all in cahoots are too callous to moderate their greed, despite the economic fallout of the flood-control mess.

I wonder if DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, the so-called golden boy that he is, is even capable of ridding the agency of the mess he inherited and coming up with infrastructure projects that are no longer overpriced.

Even the cost of classrooms, using the DPWH’s estimate, is overpriced at P3.5 million each, according to EDCOM, whereas a non-government organization can actually build one for P860,000.

Sacred rage

In Europe, protests have spread amid challenging times.

There is that rage among the young population, fed up with a system that has led to poor school infrastructure, a housing crisis and the rising cost of living.

Here at home, the kind of audacious corruption devouring the moral fiber of our society and eating into public institutions, is a ticking time bomb. It may be just a matter of time before protests erupt.

Someday soon, just like in Les Misérables our people may yet sing again, loud and mighty, the song of angry men – the music of the people, who will not be slaves again!

A national task force for a jet full of drugs

What has become a global embarrassment for the Philippines should not be left unpunished.

I’m referring to the discovery by Laotian authorities of a jet full of drugs. Authorities intercepted the private jet, believed to be headed for Manila, in early October.

The jet was loaded with 23 pieces of luggage containing 521 kilograms of shabu, estimated to be worth P3.5 billion.

We must keep in mind that the drug scourge in the Philippines will remain one of our country’s worst ills if authorities fail to pursue the syndicates bringing these illegal drugs into the country, and the Filipinos working with them.

Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos called for the establishment of a National Anti-Illegal Drug Task Force.

Santos, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said there is a need for a whole-of-nation approach to the fight against drugs.

He called for stronger inter-agency coordination, intelligence-sharing and closer monitoring of international drug trafficking networks that may exploit private aircraft and chartered flights to smuggle illegal narcotics into the Philippines.

In a letter to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, Santos endorsed the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s request for a proposed executive order that would establish the national task force.

He believes this would help strengthen the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

‘The committee believes that the DILG’s technical inputs will be crucial in ensuring that the proposed Task Force has a clear mandate, effective operational structure, well-defined agency responsibilities and workable mechanisms for coordination and accountability,’ Santos said.

Establishing a dedicated task force, he said, would help consolidate the capabilities of law enforcement agencies, intelligence units and other government offices to really disrupt drug operations in the country.

Narco-state

The drug problem in the Philippines is so serious that it’s not an exaggeration to say we may be just a few steps away from actually descending into a narco state.

The challenge is for the Marcos administration to win the war on drugs. Perhaps, this is one way President Marcos can also vindicate himself against the alleged drug use issue perennially raised against him.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson has exposed a possible case of corruption in the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) after he declined an offer of P5-million ‘allocation fund’ from the agency’s proposed 2027 budget.

Speaking over dwIZ yesterday, Lacson vowed to ask the TESDA’s budget sponsor during the plenary debate about the P5 million offer, which was made despite his strong position against pork barrel.

‘Perhaps they don’t know me because I really don’t accept lobby money,’ Lacson said, recalling a time he rejected an offer of money from a congressman – now deceased – brokering for a franchise applicant.

Lacson said he did not think TESDA’s offer was for scholarship for qualified students, because the staff who reached out to him, whom he identified as ‘Stephanie,’ gave a ballpark figure of the money involved. ‘It doesn’t make sense if it was for scholarship,’ Lacson said.

The senator posted on his X account screenshots of the allocation fund offer, allegedly from TESDA Secretary and Director General Jose Francisco Benitez.

‘When TESDA’s proposed 2027 budget comes up for plenary debate, I will seek clarification on the P5-million fund offer made to me through my Senate staff early this week. I declined unequivocally,’ Lacson wrote in the tweet.

Lacson said he had considered a sting operation but took pity on ‘Stephanie’ who was only following orders.

It was Lacson who had bared the existence of ‘allocable’ funds in the national budget, such as in the Department of Public Works and Highways, for flood control projects..

In a statement, Benitez denied he had authorized anyone to offer Lacson any allocation.

‘We welcome the opportunity to get to the bottom of this matter and fully support efforts to establish the facts,’ Benitez said, while thanking Lacson for promptly reporting the alleged anomaly.

Benitez said TESDA routinely communicates with senators during budget season to determine if they have concerns regarding the agency’s programs and budget.

However, he stressed that any improper offer, allocation or solicitation involving TESDA funds, or any unauthorized arrangement involving lawmakers run contrary to the agency’s directives.

‘I have ordered an immediate internal investigation to determine the truth, identify those responsible for any unauthorized actions or misrepresentations, and apply appropriate administrative and if warranted, criminal cases,’ Benitez said

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) may bring rain to parts of the Visayas, Mindanao and Southern Luzon, the state weather bureau PAGASA said on Sunday, October 25.

In its daily weather forecast issued 4 a.m., PAGASA said the ITCZ may bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms to the Visayas, Mindanao, the Bicol Region, Romblon and Palawan.

The state weather bureau warned residents in these areas of possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to, at times, heavy rains.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila and the rest of the country may experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms caused by localized thunderstorms.

PAGASA also warned residents in these areas of possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed complaints against a manpower agency and a coconut dealer over P45 million worth of taxes.

In the complaints before the Department of Justice, the BIR alleged that Interserve Management and Manpower Resources Inc. (IMMRI) and the V.A.T. Coconut Dealer violated Section 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 for ‘willful failure to pay taxes.’

The BIR claimed that IMMRI has not settled P33.13 million worth of income and value-added tax liabilities for 2017, despite audit efforts and issuance of notices and demands.

As for V.A.T., the BIR claimed that the coconut dealer has a deficiency of P11.93 million in income tax, expanded withholding tax and compromise penalties for 2018.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board warned taxi drivers yesterday that overcharging passengers could lead to suspension or cancellation of their LTFRB franchises, as people are expected to travel during Undas next week.

‘Violations of the existing rules and regulations on fare overcharging, snubbing and disrespecting passengers could lead to suspension or cancellation of the certificate of public convenience,’ acting LTFRB chairman Greg Pua said.

The LTFRB estimates that around 1.9 million passengers would use the bus terminals in Quezon City, Manila, Pasay, Caloocan and Muntinlupa as well as other transportation hubs, as people travel to the provinces for the observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 1 and 2.

‘This early, we are giving a fair warning to all taxi operators to behave and stick to the rules and regulations,’ Pua said, adding that mystery riders would be dispatched to check on the taxi services.

The LTFRB would also conduct random and surprise visits at the transport terminals, he added.

According to Pua, the LTFRB social media team will be monitoring complaints online, including viral posts, social media tags, messaging and calls.

He urged netizens to report abusive incidents to the agency for prompt action.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration is limiting the approval of vacation leaves of BI personnel during Undas, amid the expected influx of travelers.

‘We are preparing and deploying additional BI personnel to our international airports. The rapid response team will be on standby at our airports so we would have a pool of officers ready for duty, in case additional officers are needed,’ BI spokesperson Anisha Hadji Hassan said.

The Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport also launched its Oplan Kibits to prevent passengers and NAIA users from falling prey to members of theft, salisi, budol-budol and bundol gangs as well as those who engaged in kalabit pahingi, illegal porterage and fixing.